Jail for jealous boyfriend who stabbed his partner's ex

Mar 11 2008 By Paul Beard

A MAN who stabbed his girlfriend's former partner during a fight outside her home has been jailed for two years.

Matthew Ian Bailey, 21, of Eden Grove, Chelmsley Wood, admitted wounding Jamie Wanstall, but denied wounding with intent.

Ian Speed, prosecuting, told Warwick Crown Court that Bailey was in a relationship with Emma Lutwich, and did not like the fact that she was still friends with her former partner, Mr Wanstall.

In the early hours of November 10, after he had been drinking heavily, Bailey was on his way to collect Emma from her home in Derby Drive.

Bailey claimed he had been receiving abusive and threatening text messages and assumed Emma's friends were responsible for them.

In his basis of plea, he admitted that he had a butterfly knife in his jacket.

As he approached Ms Lutwich's house he saw a group of people outside and "feared for his safety".

He got into a verbal confrontation with one of the group and claimed he saw the man go away, pick up some sort of weapon and come back with it.

In his basis of plea, which was read out to the court, Bailey said: "I panicked and pulled out the knife. I accept that thereafter I ran after the group."

Mr Speed said Bailey admitted that as he was running, he fell over and looked up and saw Mr Wanstall coming towards him and they got into a fight.

Bailey said he used the knife to inflict injuries on Mr Wanstall, after which he made off and got rid of the knife which was later recovered by the police.

Mr Wanstall was taken to hospital where he needed stitches in wounds to his chest, left arm and right thigh, added Mr Speed.

Jailing Bailey, Recorder David Jones told him: "This offence is so grave that an immediate custodial sentence is inevitable.

"You had a butterfly knife, and you opened it and stabbed someone three times.

"One stab was perilously close to the heart - you could have been facing a murder charge."

The judge pointed out that Bailey also had a stick with him when he turned up at the scene,